Before we head down the walrus-hole, a moment of reflection on the short, strange twisted trip I took to TUSK.

1) TUSK was born in a podcast: SMODCAST 259 – The Walrus and the Carpenter. In the episode, you can actually hear me convince myself that making a human-walrus movie is a good idea. The show went live on 6/25/2013. Cameras start rolling TODAY in North Carolina, 11/4/2013. Thanks to the infectious nature of the project and the passion of some very gifted folks who wanna see a walrus picture, it took less than 5 months to make a dopey dream a living reality. So long as it never involves hurting others, chase all your dreams, kids – no matter the size. We can’t stop our eventual demise so we might as well try to do some cool shit before that ol’ clock runs out. Don’t ever listen to the common consensus, just grab YOUR walrus by the tail and make it happen. NOW.

2) TUSK is what I like to call an ‘herbal rap’ because it was born in a blaze (or haze). Now, common consensus will tell you stoners are lazy; but hopefully, TUSK’s 5 month gestation from idea to execution (and, fingers-crossed, elevation) tells you a different story. Am I saying “Go get stoned”? No – this is me telling you that people will talk lots of shit and happily tell you you’re conducting yourself or your business poorly, even when they themselves are not doing anything relevant, useful or fun. But fuck their clucks: nobody writes your story but you. You are the Chef de Cuisine for the banquet of your life; don’t ever let anyone else tell you how to run your kitchen or cook your courses.

3) Three years ago, I set my career on fire and watched it burn to the ground. Now I get to rebuild it without all the bullshit I let seep in last time, when I was young and inexperienced. I razed my past and have since rebuilt something more interesting to me. Never be afraid to start again, kids. Might as well, because life only affords us 2 choices: effort and the grave.

4) Never underestimate the power of a kind word. My wife Jen liked the first few pages of TUSK enough to keep me writing well-beyond the point I’d have likely put this whimsy aside for another. Jen could’ve said “Grow up and stop farting around with goofy shit!” But instead, after digesting what I’d written thus far, she said “I’ve never read anything like this. You should finish it because I wanna know where it goes.” Thanks to her interest, we’re about to find out.

5) Have fun! It’s been 3 years since I made a movie and TUSK will be a lot of work on an insanely ambitious schedule. But I intend to enjoy every second of it. How could I not? There’s a giant, Jabba-like rubber suit at the center of this hot mess! I’ve got a great cast and crew, all of whom – like Jennifer – just wanna see how this ends. With this much interest and help, I hope to show them a disturbing ending to the actual movie, and a happy ending to the story of TUSK.